Florida AD Scott Stricklin had No Reservations on Jon Sumrall Being a G5 Head Coach

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- When Jon Sumrall was introduced as the next head coach of the Florida Gators on Dec. 1, lingering effects of the program's targeting and decision to move on from Lane Kiffin, as well as its decision to hire another Group of Five head coach, caused anger and confusion among the fan base.

Sumrall did not shy away from questions regarding his eerily similar past to that of his predecessor, Billy Napier, another successful Group of Five head coach.

"No two people are the same," he said. "… Judge me for who I am. I'm a winner. We're going to win. Just give me a shot. Believe in me."

Scott Stricklin hired Jon Sumrall as Florida's next head football coach on Nov. 30 before introducing him on Dec. 1. | Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

That mindset won athletic director Scott Stricklin over. Despite having to make a rare third head football coach hire with both of his previous hires being fired before their fourth season ended, he did not let the past failures dictate his next hire. Specifically, he did not let Napier's failure as a Power Four head coach sway him from targeting another successful Group of Five head coach in Sumrall when it became clear Kiffin was not coming.

"I really didn't," Stricklin said during a recent appearance on the Another Dooley Noted Podcast. "You don’t want to artificially limit your pool. Just because the last coach was right-handed and didn’t work out, I’m not going to interview anybody who’s right-handed, you know? You could be arbitrary in how you do that."

Across his four seasons as a head coach, Sumrall has won three conference titles, been to four conference championship games and has made one appearance in the College Football Playoff. In each of his two-year stints at Troy and Tulane, he has never won less than nine games in a season, recording three total 11-win seasons.

As a head coach, Sumrall has an impressive 43-12 record.

“The more successful someone’s been in their past is probably the best indicator of what their future success is going to look like, and that success can come from any number of different places,” Stricklin said.

Jon Sumrall recently led Tulane to an American Conference title and appearance in the College Football Playoff. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

That being said, past success does not dictate future performance. Napier, who recorded a 40-12 record, two conference titles and four division titles at Louisiana, is the best example of that. Arriving at Florida as arguably the most popular Group of Five candidate, he became one of the worst Power Four head coaches, finishing his near-four-year tenure with the Gators with a 22-23 record and two losing seasons.

Florida was 3-4 at the time of his firing before finishing the season 4-8.

Stricklin drew considerable criticism for Napier's failures. Napier was Florida's lone candidate after Stricklin fired Dan Mullen in 2021, despite reported interest from notable head coaches, including Kiffin. After two-straight losing seasons to begin his tenure, Napier trudged to a 4-4 record in 2024 after rumors that a firing was imminent.

Kiffin, once again, was considered a possible candidate.

Stricklin decided to publicly support Napier and promised him another season in a vote of confidence. Florida finished the 2024 season with an 8-5 record, its first winning season since 2020, and a bowl win, its first since the 2019 season. However, all goodwill won that year went out the door as Florida became one of the biggest disappointments in 2025.

Stricklin did not shy away from the criticism sent his way.

"I know fans get frustrated when there's not success, and my message to the fans is no one gets more frustrated than I do. For anyone who has fired me on their keyboard, I fired myself in my head many times over. We get in this profession because we are competitive and success matters, and if you're not here to win it, what are we doing?"

Lane Kiffin was considered a top candidate before the Florida Gators hired Jon Sumrall. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

After Napier's firing, Kiffin quickly became a top candidate. Despite Florida shifting the focus of its search to Sumrall after conversations with Kiffin reportedly became erratic, Stricklin did not hide the fact that the now-LSU head coach was a top target.

"I had good conversations with Lane... He's a fascinating individual. He's a unique individual," he said. "There's a lot of good there, and there's just a lot in general. He has been successful. I think he will continue to be successful."

Meanwhile, Sumrall has hit the ground running as the Gators' head coach since Tulane's season ended at the hands of Ole Miss in the First Round of the CFP. He has kept promises to retain key members of Florida's roster — most importantly Jayden Woods, Jadan Baugh, Dallas Wilson, Vernell Brown III and Myles Graham — while filling holes in the roster with the transfer portal.

He also kept a promise for building a staff of those he has worked with previously, those who were at Florida before his arrival and those he has never worked with before but are qualified for the position, an attribute headlined by offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner.

While games have yet to be played, Stricklin sees his hiring of Sumrall paying off.

"Anyone would say this in my position, but (Kiffin) probably ended up where he needs to be, and I think the Gators ended up where we need to be because, obviously, I'm really excited about Jon, and I think he fits this place to a high level," he said. "As Gator Nation gets to know him more and more, I think are going to be really excited he's our head football coach."

More From Florida Gators on SI